Editor Said to Seek to Buy the Apollo

Clarence B. Jones, the 40‐ year‐old editor and publisher of The New York Amsterdam News, the nation's largest and best known black weekly is reportedly seeking to buy the world‐famous Apollo Theater, Harlem showcase for black entertainers.

Bobby Schiffman, the thea ter's 43‐year‐old general man ager and the son of Frank Schiffman, its owner since 1934, would not discuss either the status of negotiations or terms of the possible sale, but he did say, “Mr. Jones wants to buy the Apollo and we want to sell it to blacks.” The Schiff mans are white.

Other sources said that Mr. Jones, a lawyer and former vice president at CBWL‐Hay den Stone, a Wall Street brokerage house, was seeking to buy a $3‐million real‐estate package that included the Apollo and other buildings housing business establish ments along the north side of 125th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.

The real‐estate venture, ac cording to one source, repre sents an effort by Mr. Jones gradually to relocate his invest ments from The Amsterdam News—specifically the AM NEWS Corporation, where he is the largest shareholder in a six‐member executive board that includes Borough President Percy E. Sutton—to another Harlem‐based institution.

Mr. Jones was not available yesterday for comment con cerning these and other re ports, but was “in transit” between Chicago and New York, according to his secre tary.

According to the informant, though Mr. Jones still main tains the titular position as the paper's chief executive, he has been replaced in that respon sibility by John B. Procope, a vice presdient of AMNEWS who was formerly in charge of advertising for the weekly, whose circulation is now around 79,000, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Mr. Jones reportedly was re moved from actual control of the paper following a meeting of AMNEWS stockholders last April, after a period of several months during which the paper reportedly lost as much as $30,000 a month, the informant said.

In a recent interview, Mr. Procope described his new responsibilities to include “mak ing sure things even out on the bottom line,” although Mr. Jones said in an interview dur ing the same period, “I am still responsible for the final editorial product.” He did acknowledge, however, that “many people here think my status has slipped some.”

Rollins Asked to Resign

In a major staff change that some observers associate with the “slippage” of Mr. Jones from authority, it was disclosd this week that Bryant C. Rol lins, the weekly's executive edi tor, had been asked to resign his post—a job for which he was hired by Mr. Jones exactly one year ago, following the purchase of the newspaper by the AMNEWS Corporation from its former owner, Dr. C. B. Powell, a physician.

Mr. Rollins, a 34‐year‐old former consultant to the paper on urban affairs and previously a reporter for The Boston Globe, was asked to resign principally because of political and ideo logical differences with Borough President Sutton, the corpora tion's second ‐ largest share holder.

He will be replaced by James L. Hicks, deputy director of communications for the Na tional Urban League and a for mer Amsterdam News executive editor.

Though the action was taken by the stockholders, another source revealed, “it was mainly the action of Percy [Sutton], who feels Mr. Rollins is not in touch with the black com munity.”

“Rollins didn't spend enough time in the night spots,” a for mer employe said. “And at one point Percy had to personally escort him around the com munity, just pointing out its geographical boundaries.”

Though Mr. Rollins did not comment on those observa tions, he said: “I set out to change the paper from its nar row focus in order to deal with broad issues that directly af fect New York's black com munities. In many ways I felt I was successful.”

During his year‐long tenure at the weekly, Mr. Rollins was credited with contributions by a variety of staff writers and contributors associated with militant posture on black is sues, including the critic, Clay ton Riley, Jean Carey Bond and Lee Cook, all of whom left the paper, reportedly over their dif ferences with older represen tatives of management.

In a statement issued yester day, Mr. Jones said: “I am grateful for Mr. Rollins's con tribution over the past year. All of us at The Amsterdam wish him well.”

In a reference to Mr. Hicks, who is 56 years old, Mr. Jones said, “he, like The Amsterdam itself, is part of the great journalistic and newspaper tra dition of the black community.”

The 125th Street real‐estate package that Mr. Jones report edly is seeking to buy includes the 1.600‐seat Apollo at 253 West 125th Street.

Bobby Schiffman said that talks with Mr. Jones had been going on for several months. He did not say whether others had joined in the discussions. “But at no time did Mr. Sutton join in them,” he added, “and nothing definite has resulted as yet.”

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A version of this archives appears in print on October 14, 1972, on Page 41 of the New York edition with the headline: Editor Said to Seek to Buy the Apollo. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe